Is sitting a lethal activity? It is according to some. We all lead sedentary lives either through choice, necessity or both - resulting in the obvious, obesity, heart disease and on and on. Simply put, our bodies aren't designed to do nothing. In medicine we've known forever, a quick way to kill someone is simply confine them to bed. Blood clots, pneumonia and bed sores follow quickly. Years ago, you broke your hip it was tantamount to a death sentence. The "cure" was six weeks bed rest while the fracture healed. You can guess what happened. Pneumonias and clots took an horrendous toll. Thankfully modern orthopedics has perfected the hip-fix getting you up and on your feet within a day or two of surgery.
Sitting at a desk for eight hours without moving is silly but it's not the new smoking. Not by a long shot. Smoking has killed and will kill more of us than sitting at a desk ever can. Get up and move. Get up and stretch. You owe it to your body. You owe it to yourself but hear this, hyperboles like sitting is the new smoking are silly. They won't make us healthier and may just obfuscate the still and ever present lethality and morbidity of smoking. In case you've forgotten, smoking kills the smoker and those around them. As it did yesterday, does today and will tomorrow. Sitting isn't smoking. Smoking is smoking.
